Stromantha - home care, photo

Plant photo

Stromantha (Stromanthe) - perennial herbaceous plant from the Marantov family, combines 15 species. The natural habitat is the tropics of South and Central America. Large lanceolate-linear or ovoid leaves reach a length of 15-40 cm.

The upper part of the leaf plate is light, dark or olive green with pink, cream or white irregular stripes along the sheet. The lower part of the leaf plate has a burgundy color. Thanks to the petiole structure, the leaves easily turn to the sun. At night, they fold and rise up, and in the morning they fall and open.

The plant produces 5-6 new leaves per year, grows up to 80 cm in height and width. At home, the stromanthus rarely blooms. White or cream nondescript flowers are collected in spike-shaped inflorescences.

Stromantha conquers the hearts of flower growers with its decorative foliage with an unusual, seemingly painted color. However, such an exciting beauty is complemented by whimsical care, and to admire the flower on your windowsill, you will have to make a lot of effort.

Also pay attention to the Nerter plant.

	6-7 new leaves per year.
	It blooms in summer, very rarely.
	The plant is difficult to grow.
	Perennial.

Beneficial features

Photo of stromants in a pot

The plant must be planted for those who suffer from insomnia. It calms the nervous system before bedtime, relieves stress and fatigue. There is also an opinion that a stromant helps to gain self-confidence, inspires optimism, improves mood and gives additional life energy.

Features of growing at home. Briefly

Stromantha at home is very beautiful, but rather capricious. Therefore, it needs to comply with all the rules for caring for it:

Temperature	In summer, during the period of active growth, it is 22-25 degrees, in winter - not lower than 18 degrees. Drafts and sudden changes in temperature are unacceptable.
Air humidity	High, not less than 65%. Daily spraying of leaves with soft, warm water is recommended.
Lighting	Diffused bright light, partial shade.
Watering	In summer - frequent and plentiful, every 4-5 days, as the soil dries up; in winter - moderate, not more than 1 time per week.
Priming	Breathable, with the addition of perlite or sand; drainage needed.
Fertilizer and fertilizer	During the growth period, every 2-3 weeks, with a complex fertilizer for decorative and deciduous plants, in half dosage.
Transfer	In late spring, in deep pots, young specimens are transplanted annually, adults - once every 3-5 years.
Breeding	In the spring when transplanting by dividing the bush; leaf rosettes, which sometimes form at the ends of shoots; stem cuttings.
Growing Features	In summer, you can take it to the garden or balcony, it is important to remove completely dried leaves; fragile leaves are gently wiped with a soft cloth.

Stromant care at home. In detail

Stromancer at home requires very careful care. As a native of the tropics, it needs warmth and light, and especially in high humidity. However, if you strictly adhere to all the rules of care, the plant will certainly thank the lush foliage and luxurious appearance.

Bloom

Nondescript white or creamy small flowers, in S. sanguinea bright red, on long peduncles collected in panicle inflorescences, with a diameter of 6-8 cm.

Flowers do not represent decorative value. Stromanthus at home blooms extremely rarely, only when creating ideal conditions of detention.

Temperature mode

Stromantha is thermophilic. In summer, the optimum temperature for it is 22-27 degrees, in winter - 20-21 degrees, but not lower than 18. The plant does not tolerate temperature extremes. Therefore, the pot should be placed away from open windows and balcony doors. Hypothermia of the root system is fraught with death of the flower.

Spraying

A home stromant needs high air humidity: ideally 90%, but not lower than 70%. In view of this, the plant needs daily spraying with warm soft water, which has been left for several days. For this purpose, a fine atomizer is suitable.

To increase humidity, it is recommended:

• put the pot in a tray with wet expanded clay or moss. At the same time, the bottom of the pot should not touch the water so that the roots do not rot;
• put a container of water near the flower;
• put wet cloth on batteries in winter;
• cover the plant with a plastic bag at night;
• periodically gently wipe the leaves with a damp cloth.

Stromantha grows well in aquariums, mini-greenhouses, florarium, where it is easier to maintain high humidity.

Lighting

Room stromantha Needs bright but diffused lighting. A lack of light or direct sunlight affects the leaves: they decrease in size and lose their color. On winter cloudy days, artificial lightning is recommended.

The optimal place for the plant would be the eastern or western windowsill. On the south window you will need shading, for example, using a translucent curtain. It can be grown under artificial lighting with fluorescent or phytolamps.

However, she needs a 16-hour daylight.

Watering

In spring and summer stromantha needs frequent and plentiful watering about 2-3 times a week. In autumn and spring, the frequency of watering is reduced to 1 time per week. The next moistening of the soil is carried out after drying of the top layer of the earth in a pot. After 20-30 minutes after watering, the water remaining in the pan is poured out. It is important to prevent stagnation of water in the pot - this is fraught with rotting of the roots.

Water for irrigation should be soft and warm. You can collect rainwater or defend tap water. Watering with cold water can trigger flower diseases.

Pot

Since the stromantha has a developed root system, a pot should be selected high. It should be 2-3 cm larger in diameter than the previous one. At the bottom (about ¼ part of the pot), drainage is laid out. It is optimal that the pot is clay: this will help to avoid rotting of the root system.

Priming

The earth must pass air and moisture well, be nutritious and slightly acidic (pH up to 6). From ready-made store mixtures, a substrate for arrowroot, azaleas or palm trees is suitable. If you prepare the soil yourself, you can choose one of the options:

• sheet land, peat and sand in a ratio of 2: 1: 1;
• humus, sheet land, sand and peat in a ratio of 1: 1: 1/2: 1;
• sheet land (1), humus (1), turf land (1/2), sand (1), peat (1).

Fertilizer and fertilizer

Stromantha is sensitive to an excess of mineral components in the soil, so you should not get carried away with its fertilizer. In the dormant period (from late autumn to early spring), feeding is not needed at all, during the growing season (mid-spring – mid-autumn) - once every 2-3 weeks.

It is optimal to use liquid complex fertilizers for decorative and deciduous plants. In this case, the concentration should be made 2 times weaker than indicated on the package.

Sometimes mineral fertilizing can be alternated with organic, for example, with mullein.

Transplant stromants

A stromanthus flower is transplanted at the end of spring by a transshipment method. Young specimens are transplanted annually, adults - 3-5 years, as the root system fills the entire space of the pot. Moreover, every year it is recommended to replace the top layer of earth in a pot (3-4 cm).

The next planting plant is planted a little deeper than before. If after transshipment in a new pot leaves are folded, the flower should be put in the shade and covered with a plastic bag to increase air humidity.

Pruning

The plant does not need crown formation. When transplanting, old dying leaves are removed. Throughout the year, carefully dried leaves should be carefully trimmed.

Rest period

Stromantha does not have a pronounced period of rest. However, from mid-autumn to early spring, it suspends its growth and development. Due to the lack of natural lighting in this period, it is recommended to lower the temperature of the plant during this period to 18-20 degrees.

Breeding

Stromantha propagates in two main ways.

Propagation of stromants by dividing the bush

It is most convenient to carry out the procedure during a transplant.

• A large plant is carefully divided into 2-3 parts, trying to minimize damage to the root system.
• New specimens are planted in shallow pots filled with peat-based substrate and watered well with warm, settled water.
• Before the next wetting, the earth should dry well.
• The containers are covered with a plastic bag to increase humidity and put in a warm place.

A greenhouse can be opened when the plants become stronger and new leaves appear.

Propagation of stromants by cuttings

The procedure is best carried out in late spring or early summer.

• From young shoots of the plant cuttings are cut, 7-10 cm long, having 2-4 leaves.
• The slice is made slightly below the place of attachment of the leaf to the stem.
• Cuttings are placed in a glass of water, which is covered with a plastic bag to increase air humidity.
• So that the stalk does not rot, 1-2 tablets of crushed activated carbon can be added to the glass.

The root formation process lasts 5-6 weeks, after which the cuttings are planted in peat soil. The containers are covered with polyethylene and placed in a warm place.

Diseases and Pests

Problems most often arise due to non-compliance with the conditions of its detention. Here are the main difficulties and the reasons for their occurrence:

• Leaves fade and dry - excess lighting, direct sunlight.
• Slowly growing - Too dry indoor air, lack or excess of minerals.
• Leaves are folded overnight - a normal phenomenon, this is a feature of the plant.
• Leaves fade - lack of lighting; leaves may lose color due to excess sunlight.
• Lower leaves dry out - The result of the natural aging process of the flower.
• Stems rot - too low temperature and waterlogging of the soil.
• Leaves stromants wither and turn yellow - waterlogging of the soil.
• The tips of the leaves dry - Too dry air, damage with a spider mite is possible.
• Stromanthe leaves are covered with dark spots - insufficient soil moisture.
• Leaves twist - insufficient watering, large breaks between soil moisture.
• Leaves fall - acidification of the soil due to excessive irrigation, low humidity.
• The appearance of yellow-brown spots on the leaves - lack of minerals.

It is affected by whiteflies, scale insects, aphids, spider mites, mealybugs.

Types of home stromants with photos and names

Pleasant stromantha (Stromanthe amabilis)

It reaches a height of 30 cm. It has wide-oval long-leaved leaves 10-20 cm long, 4-5 cm wide. The upper part of the leaf plate is light green with dark green stripes diverging "herringbone" from the central vein. The underside of the leaf is gray-green with a pink tint.

Stromantha blood red (Stromanthe sanguinea)

Height is 40-50 cm. Oval pointed leaves reach 30-40 cm in length and 7-13 cm in width. The upper part of the leaf plate is glossy, light green with V-shaped dark green strokes, the bottom has a burgundy hue.

Common varieties of blood red stromants:

• Tricolor - dark green leaves are covered with multi-colored stains from white and pink to light green, the lower part of the leaf plate is burgundy;
• Triostar - leaves are decorated with yellow, olive and light green stripes;
• Maroon - saturated green leaves with a more pronounced light green central vein;
• Multicolor - dark green leaves with white and light green spots.

Stromantha is a moody beauty. But if you with love and attention pay time to it and create the necessary conditions, it will delight you with bright lush foliage and become a real decoration of your home!